


Autumn Angels

by belivaird_st



Category: Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-13
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2019-01-16 21:58:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12351366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belivaird_st/pseuds/belivaird_st
Summary: Carol and Therese ride the train to an orchard farm.





	Autumn Angels

**Author's Note:**

> Now with Fall approaching and the weather getting colder, this oneshot story of Carol & Therese came to my mind for the pretty leaf changing season.

"When did it get so goddamn _cold_?" Carol mutters under her breath, throwing the large orange-green-white plaid Afghan blanket over both her and Therese's knees as they sit on a wooden bench waiting for their ride at the train station. She eyes over to the red Thermos cup that the small brunette is holding in her hands and watches her unscrew the plastic cap, letting the hot steam of their lunch - Carol's homemade chicken noodle soup - float and cool off in the crisp, October air.

"Fall has arrived," Therese states the obvious.

"No kidden," Carol snorts. She tries to bundle themselves closer by wrapping the blanket tighter around their bodies and legs.

"How many stops will the train make until it takes us to the Orchard Farm?" Therese questions.

"Oh, I dunno. Two or three, I suppose..." Carol sits up straighter on the bench as she looks ahead at the small group of people gathering near the tracks the moment everything erupts with a big screeching sound of long hissing wheels and metal rub together as the train slowly rolls along and halts to a stop. The conductor slides one of the train car doors open and starts helping a few women and men climb aboard. 

" _That's our train, darling, hurry!_ " Carol quickly tosses the blanket off their laps and scrambles up from the bench while Therese, panicky and alert, accidently spills some of the chicken noodle soup in the process of twisting the Thermos cap back on. They grab their bags off the ground and run towards the remaining small group of people getting on. The conductor offers a hand for each woman as they step onto the metal narrow steps (a grin for Carol, a wink for Therese) and then slides the train car door tightly shut.

Carol finds a seat near the back and settles herself down by the window; putting her purse and blanket near her feet below while Therese moves through the aisle to sit across from her with a table wedged between them. She sets down the Thermos and sucks bits of spilled soup juice off the heel of her hand.

"You alright? You didn't burn yourself, did you?" Carol's eyes widen with worry.

"No. I just taste like your soup," Therese replies. 

Carol smiles; relieved.

xxx

The train actually makes 5 stops. Therese wakes up; lifting her head from her crossed arms on the table and sees passengers moving along through the aisles and cabin seats with their bags and Carol smirking across from her seat.

"Hi there, sleepyhead. We're here."

Therese rubs her eyes before grabbing the Thermos and following Carol out. They thank the conductor once they step off the train. Therese shivers inside her red autumn jacket once her body's exposed to the cold outdoors again. Carol wraps her arms around the younger woman's shoulders for warmth and kiss her on the head before steering them through a dirt gravel yard towards a big red wooden barn that have display tables on either side of the entrance with woven baskets of pumpkins and stalks of multicolored corn.

Inside, the barn smells of bales of hay, firewood, and fried dough. Therese notices some people looking at homemade quilts hung over a clothesline, others browsing over some jars of honey and purchasing apples; while the rest of them are mostly waiting in line at the cider doughnut station. Carol asks her what she would like to do first - go outside to pick some apples? wait in line to buy cider doughnuts? Therese doesn't mind what they do, so they decide the apples come first. They walk outside to the back yard of the barn and join a few people on a haywagon to ride into the outskirts of the orchard and pick some apples.

Carol unravels the orange-green-white plaid blanket as her and Therese sit close together on cubes of hay. Therese carefully unscrews the cap of the Thermos so that her and Carol can share and pass the cup to each other during the ride. The farmer tightens the reins near the front of the wagon and comforts the pretty brown spotted mare who eventually begins to twitch and move and carry everybody along on all four hooves.


End file.
